This invention relates to chemical processing of cellulose or cellulose-containing textile materials to form a useful treated textile material having durable press properties, e.g., such properties as wrinkle resistance and wrinkle recovery while retaining the natural properties of the untreated textile materials.
Conventional fabric durable press reagents in present commercial use contain aminoplasts and/or emulsion copolymers containing methylol acrylamide, both of which materials emit formaldehyde upon curing. And, because there is increasing concern resulting from reports in the chemical literature of the toxicity, carcinogenicity, and mutagenicity of formaldehyde, there is an industry-wide need for a formaldehyde-free durable press system.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,475,846 discloses the preparation of activated bisvinyl compounds such as, for example, methylenebisacrylamide. The use of this compound alone for the durable press treatment of cotton is also known as is reported by J. W. Frick et al., Textile Research J., 27, 92 (1957).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,098 and related U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,393 disclose the use of the quaternary monomer, or copolymers containing unit of the quaternary monomer, produced by reacting an epihalohydrin with acid salts of a dimethylaminoalkyl (meth)acrylate in making paper and yarn and U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,645 discloses coatings containing the same quaternary monomer and/or copolymers thereof for fabrics. However, these patents do not disclose the use of the quaternary monomers and/or copolymers thereof in durable press treating systems.
The use of conventional polymers for improved crease recovery in fabrics is disclosed by R. Steele and C. L. Browne in American Dyestuff Reporter, 45, 525 (1956) and by W. K. Walsh et al. in Textile Research J., 39, 1126 (1969). These disclosures do not mention the use of the quaternary monomer, or copolymers thereof, described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,748 discloses treating cotton cellulose fabrics with acrylamide solution in a solvent mixture of water and N,N-dimethylformamide and then subjecting the wet impregnated acrylated cotton to ultraviolet light to yield crosslinked durable press cotton fabrics with improved wrinkle recovery angles with minimum losses in breaking strength of the chemically modified cotton fabrics.